Crusade
by HermiHugs
Summary: What will you do when a whole class of people are bent on discriminating others based on blood and ancestry? You need a crusade to bring back balance. Harry does not attend Hogwarts, instead he is a part of Her Majesty's secret service.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or other works that may be familiar in the story. I only own the idea and the words that go into making the story.

What will you do when a whole class of people are bent on discriminating others based on blood and ancestry? You need a crusade to bring back balance.

Harry Potter is smarter than canon. His upbringing at his aunt and uncle's made him aware of the world and its injustices and so his first instinct is to question what he sees. Harry does not attend Hogwarts, instead he is a part of Her Majesty's secret service. With the help of his cousin and other muggle-born and half-bloods who have left the wizarding world, Harry crusades for a more tolerant wizarding world while bringing down Lord Voldemort and his death eaters. For a better world to take shape, the old world has to be torn down. More unforgiving Harry. Hopefully different from all the other Harry and muggle world fics.

 **Crusade**

 **Chapter 1**

The young woman who called herself Stella Smith was cursing herself. Dressed in black dragon hide body hugging outfit from neck to ankles, feet snug in black shoes of the same hide, her features were hidden underneath a mask that covered her eyes, nose and most of her cheeks leaving space for the mouth and chin and finally slits for seeing and breathing. Her trademark unruly bushy brown hair was charmed into behaving and was fit into a tight bun.

However superhero like she might have felt, she was coming to regret her decision to be one this night. 'I mean I am one person against the whole system!' she groused silently.

The reason for her introspection was that she was completely pinned behind a low wall that cut her off from the alley that led into the Ministry of Magic. Her mission tonight was simple; all she had to do was to infiltrate the department of Archives, which was not even guarded, retrieve the list of muggleborns that were in Britain and get out without a soul knowing. It was an easy task she set for herself or so she thought, but for her misfortune; she did not account for an attack on the ministry building by a few death eaters and the odd werewolf at the same time.

The death eaters were not much of a problem they were just cannon fodder after all; she could handle the four of them easily. All she had to do was to keep firing incapacitating hexes at them and they would duck behind the nearest cover. Though they may not be injured, their fear of getting injured was enough to give her the time to escape. The death eaters were not used to their opponents firing back and without a high level 'inner circle' member to strategize, they were not so effective.

Even though they were untransformed, the two werewolves however, were a different matter altogether. They did not fear the cutting and blasting hexes as their brute strength would help them manage the pain the hexes would inflict. Werewolves were known to have greater than normal regenerative capacity and so the body would repair itself rendering it a minor discomfort and nothing more.

If Stella had to do any significant damage, she had to fire the much more potent bone breaking hexes at them and that was draining on her magical core. Stella also found herself within the anti-apparition wards of the Ministry building and even though she was underaged, but still capable of appartition, she could not flee from the current danger. Stella cursed herself again for not learning the portkey charm, and for the first time she cursed her beloved books; they did not tell her about the danger and the near helplessness she was felling when faced with overwhelming odds. She intellectually knew that she should not panic, but knowing it on one level and putting it into practice are two different things.

Her upbringing was such that Stella could not let injustice go by without any attempt to correct it and her life at Hogwarts showed that she was classed as a second class citizen in the magical world. She ahd to do something.

It all started with that thrice damned letter from Harry Potter that appeared in the Quibbler in November, a few months ago.

…..

 _ **The Letter**_

 _You might wonder what happened to me after the Halloween night that left me an orphan, why was I never seen or heard from again and you would be surprised to know that I never knew about the world of magic or that I was a wizard. This world was revealed to me by Rubeus Hagrid the game keeper of Hogwarts when he came to deliver my letter to attend the school. Why was that, you may ask. It was because I was left on the door step of my muggle aunt on a cold November night with just a note explaining to them that my parents were murdered and it was left to them to take care of me. In a sense, no one told them the reason why I was going to be a burden to them._

 _I do not know who was callous enough to leave a toddler alone like that for the night but I am thankful to them. You see, Hagrid told me about the legacy of the 'Boy-Who-Lived' and how I was the one who rendered Lord Voldemort without a body; yes, apparently Albus Dumbledore the headmaster of Hogwarts believes that Voldemort is not dead. He is apparently plotting ways to return and to cause devastation again, but more importantly, take care of me permanently._

 _So I ask you, if I was the target of a power hungry dark lord, why did I grow up without any knowledge of that and without any means to escape if not defended from an attack?_

 _I am therefore, thankful to my relatives for teaching me the most important thing of all; self-preservation. Why would I enter a world that has my bodily harm written on it, if the men in power could turn a blind eye to the plight of a child in a magic hating house? To top it off, my name comes out a magical artifact under the watchful eye of a retired master auror, a headmaster touted to be the most powerful wizard alive, and a full contingent of Hogwarts professors. Then to top it all the Ministry representative says that I have to compete or lose my magic, even though I was and I am miles away from the castle!_

 _I would say "Good Riddance!" if the 'Goblet of Fire' strips me off my magic, though now that the first task is over and I still retain my magic, the chance of that happening seems to be pretty low. I chose to live a life away from the magical world and I would hardly be inconvenienced by it; and if I am to lose my life due to something that was in no way my own, then so be it. I would at last be in the company of someone who loved me for who I am, my long dead parents, for they are the only ones in whom I have left of a family in this world or the next._

 _It's not me, who did not know about magic for eleven years and who chose a life away from the wizarding world, that has to take care of your problems. It does not take a genius to work out that it is the solemn duty of those that live in that world to set their house in order. I recommend that you do it before Voldemort rises again, for then there will be no hope for you all._

 _Oh! And please do not bother the editor of this newspaper for my whereabouts because he does not know._

 _-Harry James Potter_

 _ **End Letter**_

That letter raised a huge hue and cry, but the real shocker was when the much touted Triwizard tournament came to an inglorious end when Barty Crouch Jr., a death eater who was supposed to have died inside Azkaban, was found to be the one who put Harry Potter's name in the Goblet of Fire. He was able to do that right under the headmaster's nose by disguising as a 'Mad-Eye' Moody, a master auror and a close personal friend of Dumbledore. Since the last Potter did not take part in the tournament, the magic of the goblet recognized the one who actually put his name in as the defaulter and collected the dues.

Barty Crouch Jr lost his life in front of a capacity crowd that was eagerly waiting for the long lost 'Boy-Who-Lived' to take his rightful place in the wizarding world but instead were mute testament to the reality of death eaters and Lord Voldemort. Stella had to suppress a snort at the image of three students fighting dragons as part of their task, 'Seriously! What is wrong with this world? Even bull fighters do not face such threats, and talk about animal cruelty…' she trailed off realizing that her predicament was such that she could not spend time reminiscing. Stella was reminded of the danger when she had to duck away from another curse.

The students were sent home for Christmas so that the security around the castle could be increased but unfortunately nothing was done to change the apathy that covered the wizarding world. No one lifted a finger to launch an investigation into how a man supposed to have died in prison was alive and why did he put Harry Potter's name in the goblet. Apparently, the minister of magic used dictatorial powers to roughshod the law enforcement department into silence.

Then there was the problem of Sirius Black who caught another death eater, Peter Pettigrew. Pettigrew was also thought to have been dead at the hands of Black all those years ago. Even with the victim of the murder alive, Black did not get the justice he richly deserved, instead, the minister of magic ordered both Pettigrew and Black to be killed without due trial. Highlighting the ministry's incompetence, both of them escaped from confinement! The minister turned out to be a bare faced liar and after the so called sentencing of Black, became an attempted murderer and he was still allowed to continue his reign at the helm of affairs in the wizarding world.

With Harry Potter's accusations ringing in her mind, Stella Smith was determined to make a difference in her world. This decision was given an urgency after learning that the new professor being appointed for Defense Against the Dark Arts was actually a Ministry employee with the sole intention of curbing the headmaster's power and also to subjugate those who dared to raise their voices against the ministry, namely the muggleborns and half-bloods.

Now cowering behind the modest safety offered by the broken wall, Stella was not so sure as to the chance of continuing her own life. The idea, to get the names and addresses of all muggleborns, was a sound one and the plan was well thought out but the death eater attack happening at the same time could not be foreseen nor did she plan for one.

Stella's strength finally gave out and she spied a werewolf darting out and began his sprint for the final kill. 'Goodbye Mum, Dad!' Stella murmured in her mind, 'I am sorry Harry Potter. I could not help the people who needed my help,' she thought resigning herself for the inevitable.

Her eyes widened in surprise when the lunging werewolf suddenly stumbled and fell heavily onto the road, a few arrows sticking out his back right through the backbone. Another arrow embedded itself in his neck right at that moment killing the werewolf.

'Probably made of silver' Stella mused, thanking her stars and furtively trying to find the person responsible for downing the werewolf and in turn saving her life.

The other werewolf which was more aware of the dangers or was more of a coward and was still cowering behind the edge of a nearby building was also brought down in a similar fashion in as many seconds. The four death eaters turned to confront the newest threat but found how painful death can be with arrows piercing their hearts. For a change they were the ones on the receiving end rather than inflicting death upon the others.

The lull in activities that followed the downing of the death eaters allowed Stella to slowly get out from behind her cover while wondering if she was alone, but then she saw movement at the edge of the circle of light.

A muscular young man probably five feet and ten inches, and clad totally in black dragon hide was walking towards the fallen opponents and began wandlessly summoning the arrows back to him. In his hand was a crossbow but with a strange cylinder sticking underneath it. What Stella could not know was that the cylinder had a supply of arrows, either normal or silver depending on the need, and had a never ending rune written on it to keep it supplied with the needed arrows.

Stella was stunned at the casual display of such advanced magic and even in her disbelief she was able to see that four of the arrows used to fell the werewolves were indeed silver tipped.

Stella was suddenly infatuated by the man's bearing; he was a powerful presence and the similarity in their choice of wardrobe was not lost upon her. He was outfitted similar to the fantasy character 'Zorro' with a wide brimmed black felt hat and a cloak with a mask that covered his forehead and nose with slits for eyes, the only difference in attire was that this man's bodysuit hugged his well-defined muscular body. He also had a cloak tied at his neck and hanging off his back just like the fictional hero had, except that this one was silver in colour and almost looked as if it was flowing like water.

Sure that it was safe to venture out, Stella moved to thank her savior and was met by an equally bemused young man obviously realizing the likeness of their attire. She was gratified by a sharp intake of breath from the young man and the gaze that roved all over her taking in her curves that were on display. The moment their eyes met though, it was almost as if time stood still.

The two apparent strangers stared at each other, thoughts racing through their minds. "I thought you needed help…" the man regained his wits and addressed her with a clearly recognizable discomposure in his voice.

Judging by the timbre of his voice and now in the lamp light, Stella was able to see that the man was no older than her nearly sixteen years of age, yet he looked so poised and confident, except when talking to her that is.

Stella grasped at the offered straw to cover her own flustered state, "I was exhausted and was ready to give up the fight and face the consequences. Thank you for saving my life" she replied. Stella was sure that she did not see the man before, but why does he look familiar?

Hearing her voice, the young man stiffened suddenly. Now that he was closer, there was no mistaking it, "Hermione?" he asked incredulously.

The newly identified Hermione's eyes bulged. The voice was so clear and it was a little different from what the young man used a few moments ago. This was a voice she could identify, "Stan?" she countered, equally surprised. Even with the mask on, the way the young man moved and the tone of his voice was so clear to Hermione, how could it not be when she dreamed about that man often, sometimes even in her waking hours.

"I…" Stan started but stopped as suddenly when Hermione started to say something at that same time. "You…"

Both of them were a little flustered. With the adrenaline of the fight and with the sight of each other in that place affecting them equally.

Stan began to fidget under Hermione's scrutiny, "It's not safe to hang around here" he reminded her suddenly. Now that the fight was over, they were sure to be found out; funny how Law Enforcement almost always seems to come after the danger had passed.

Hermione agreed immediately, "Yes, but I do not think that I even have the energy to apparate."

If he was surprised at her admission of performing underage magic or unlicensed apparition, Stan did not say anything. He merely extended his hand to her and they walked beyond the wards of the Ministry building together from where he apparated them both to a very familiar landmark, Hyde Park in Central London.

"Do you want me to call a cab?" Stan asked. He did not know where she lived, the one time Stan met Hermione was at a dance. He only got a vague idea of a fairly upscale house in Crawley during their very extensive talk.

"Not in this gear, no" She replied. Hermione did not even care to pack a change of clothing as she was sure that she would be in and out without a hitch. Now she was trapped wearing a body hugging suit of dragonhide which was resistant to transfiguration. She could have, and should have packed a change of clothing, Hermione lamented.

The young man agreed with a nod of his head. There was only one way to do it and it involved a lot of trust, "Can you trust me enough to let me peek into your mind?"

Contrary to popular belief, blind apparition or apparition by coordinates is not possible. You have to visualize your target and there was no way for someone to visualize coordinates. Powerful magicals, or those with extreme control over their emotions and thoughts can apparate to a person and that too if they were familiar with the other's magic, but that was all. Dumbledore could do it, Stan could do it, but that was not going to help him now.

Hermione was worried hearing that. I was not that she did not trust Stan, oh, she trusted him alright. More so because Hermione actually had a crush on Stanley Smith and it was this knowledge of the crush that was worrying her. She did not trust her power to keep Stan out of her mind, if Stan did not have impeccable control, she would unknowingly allow him to see her deepest secrets. On the other hand, they could simply wait until she regained some of her magic and she could apparate home. However, it was approaching midnight and even though it was summer, it was not a good idea to stay long in the open air. Besides, her parents would be frantic.

That decision made, Hermione allowed herself to relax and met Stan's eyes.

Hermione felt only a brief intrusion into her mind before Stan withdrew, "Stella Smith?" he asked with a full blown smirk.

Hermione blushed furiously and why not, she modelled her name after the man who caused quite a stir in her heart and being found out by the same man in such circumstances? She refused to back down though, she was not afraid of her feelings. It may have been a simple crush, but the depth of her feelings surprised Hermione, she actually suspected that it could grow more than a simple crush if she knew Stan a little longer.

"What can I say?" Hermione simply shrugged her shoulders trying to get her blush under control.

"Mr and Mrs Smith, does have a nice ring to it," Stan muttered.

Hermione glanced sharply at her companion and the blush erupted back on her face. Stan saw that reaction and clapped a hand over his mouth, "I said that aloud didn't I?" he whispered wide eyed.

Hermione refused to meet his eye but Stan knew that she was not angry, not with the corners of her mouth threatening to break out into a smile or the bashful look on her face. Finally, after what could only be construed as an uncomfortable silence, Hermione mustered the courage to look Stan in the eye and reply, "That is still a long time away isn't it?"

Stan released a sigh of relief at that. He accepted Hermione's words both as a chance for the future and as a way for him to extricate himself from the situation he put himself in, "Yes it is."

Breathing in deeply, Stan and Hermione tried to focus back on the task at hand. With a determined nod of her head, Hermione was ready and allowed Stan to take a peek into her mind again. This time the image was of the backyard of Hermione's house.

Stan withdrew and assimilated the view and got ready to apparate to the destination that was fixed in his mind now. Hermione nodded her head in agreement and tightened her grip on Stan's forearm which was the signal for him to set off with barely a 'pop'.

Now, how did Hermione Granger meet Stanley Smith?

…..

 _ **Back Story**_

Hermione was unsure how to feel about being sent home for Christmas during her fourth year. On one hand, she was happy to celebrate Christmas with her parents just as she did every year but on the other hand, she was sad that she missed a chance to attend the Yule Ball. The ball was a part of the Triwizard tournament which brought two other schools to Hogwarts in a test of magical prowess and also international cooperation and friendship. Hermione was hoping that at least one wizard from the visiting schools would find her pretty enough to take her to the ball.

For you see, Hermione had the firm belief that she was not pretty and was sought out by people only for the help she could give in their academics. The belief was ingrained in her right from primary school and was further confirmed during her stay at Hogwarts, making her truly a wallflower. She had hoped that it will change with the ball but that was not to be.

The death of a death eater who was masquerading as a professor and further, the escape of a convict and another suspect right from under the nose of the Minister of Magic and his auror guard created a furor. Moreover, the two escapees were not seen any time outside the castle or on the grounds. That forced the Ministry and a reluctant Dumbledore to not only cancel the tournament but also close the school for a thorough search to ensure that the two men were really out of the school.

It meant that all the students had to go home for Christmas. For one witch particularly that also meant that she lost her chance to find a wizard who could appreciate her, or so thought Hermione. In a way she was resigned to not find a boyfriend in the magical world, the bias against muggleborn was still existing even though most of the time it was subdued.

Hermione's parents were well known for their excellent care of patients in their dental clinic. They were not catering to the affluent or to those that belong to the celebrity status. They did have a good number of patients who had a great influence in shaping the society they were living in, they were the pencil pushers and the thinkers behind the news makers. With Hermione at an age where she could start to think about a boyfriend, her parents were all for helping her.

"We have an invite to a party on boxing day," Mrs. Granger asked her daughter, "Do you want to attend Hermione?"

The said witch was puzzled. She knew that her parents liked to socialize but never tried to include her and never during Christmas time as she was usually present and Christmas was a time for family. "You never attended any parties during this time and definitely not with me. Why the sudden change mum?"

The elder Grangers exchanged weary looks. Mr. Granger answered his daughter, "Let us be honest for a minute here Hermione…" he trailed off hoping that his daughter would acknowledge his request and at the same time not get mad.

Hermione did indeed was wary. She never expected this but she gave her acceptance to her parents' request.

Daniel Granger gave a subtle relieved sigh, "We know that you are not happy at Hogwarts."

Hermione tried to hide her feelings but her disappointment was not hard to miss by the two dentists. Emma Granger came to sit beside her daughter and gathered her into a loose hug while Mr. Granger continued, "We also know that it's not your fault. We are just trying to see if you can make some friends away from that world. I have no idea what your plans are after finishing school, but I would be surprised if you were to continue in the magical world."

Hermione dried her tears and gave her mum an extra tight squeeze before letting her go. She breathed out loudly to relieve the tension. "You are right dad; I do have some classmates but not friends. The girls there are intimidated by my intelligence and the boys are so immature I get the feeling that we are still in kindergarten sometimes."

She exchanged a wry smile with her dad but that small act brought some levity to the evening and relieved some of the tension that the parents felt.

Hermione had a thoughtful look as she continued, "I have given it a lot of thought lately about staying on in the magical world."

Dan and Emma exchanged worried glances. They thought that they would be the ones to put the idea in Hermione's mind and urge her to think on it, but it seemed that their daughter was already done thinking. They just hoped that it would not be a heartbreak for their lonely daughter. Her loneliness was also the reason the Grangers tried to push her towards attending their party. They held the opinion that their daughter was mature enough and would find and experience her love life all by herself but it was evident that she felt there was nothing for her in the magical world.

"Taking the O.W.L examinations is like a rite of passage. People can drop out of school once they have at least 5 O. and that is what I want to do," Hermione told her parents. She was apprehensive about what her parents would say.

Emma Granger drew her daughter into another hug understanding the enormity of the decision. Her daughter was so excited to know that she was a witch and hoped to understand and excel in the new world and to have those dreams come crashing around you was a difficult thing to digest.

While his wife offered her silent support to their daughter, Dan wanted to be sure of a few things, "So once you get your O. you will not be obliviated?"

Hermione just nodded her head.

"… and you can go wherever you want?"

Again another nod of agreement.

"Where do you want to go?" Emma asked this time.

"I…" Hermione exhaled loudly, "I honestly do not know. I thought I will get back into the muggle world and maybe study at home, pass the required exams and get into either a law school or into a teaching profession. I did not think that far…"

Emma patted her daughter's back, "It's not a problem honey. There is still time, you can even look for places that are more tolerant to muggleborns and continue in the wizarding world."

Hermione got the look of intense concentration on her face. Dan knew that it would be difficult to pry her out of the thinking phase if she really got down to business. They had important things to discuss right now, like the party they were to attend in a few days.

"So about the party," he prompted.

"Do you have someone in mind?" Hermione asked a little suspiciously, narrowing her eyes to peer at her parents. They were like bloodhounds going after a scent.

Emma's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, "There is this young man, very handsome." Emma practically squealed in delight; if Dan was even a little unsure of the love his wife had for him, he would be worried. He only looked with an exasperated smile at his wife and then turned to his daughter and rolled his eyes overly dramatic.

Thankfully for Dan, his wife was still sitting beside Hermione and so only had to face her glare instead of an arm swat or a hit on the back of his head. Emma then completely ignored her husband and began again, "He is a little shy and does not make friends that easily, but once you get to know him he sticks with you. He apparently reads a lot and is very intelligent, he probably can even rival you in that department Hermione."

Hermione rolled her eyes, it was almost as if her sensible parents have been replace with one with far less sense.

Emma ignored her daughter's antics, "He was really intrigued by your tendency to have books as friends…"

"We of course did not tell him about you being a witch," her father took up the conversation, "… but he thought that he might have found a kindred spirit in you. Apparently he also cannot make friends that easily and so tends to be loner."

After looking at her face a few moment and not finding what he wanted, Dan pleaded earnestly, "Please give this a chance Hermione."

Hermione was surprised and it showed on her face. Normally a father would try to scare away any potential boyfriends but her father was trying to integrate a boy into her life! If her parents were really that anxious for her to meet a potential boyfriend then he was either really good or her parents were hurting for her.

That thought brought tears to her eyes. She never saw this from her parents' side. Hermione handled things by her own and it was probably fine where even if things go bad, her parents can interfere. But she was in a place which was as inaccessible to them as if it was on another planet itself. Hermione placated her father and mother that she would indeed attend the party and meet this paragon who captured both of their hearts.

That night, Hermione had trouble sleeping. She honestly was surprised by the intensity of emotions in her parents over this young man. No, Hermione realized that it was less about the boy and more about her being friendless. She was now at an age when she should have more than one good friend who she could rely on, but Hermione relied only on herself, not even her parents. That was the crux of the problem she realized. Her parents were genuinely afraid for her. They were probably thinking about a life after school in the magical world.

Hermione could not understand why her parents were so hung up on her not having friends. She was only fifteen and there was a lot of time still. Maybe they were seeing her performance as her inability to find someone to spend her life with. If that was the case, then so be it. Not that she was going to say it loud to her parents.

Thinking about the guy that her parents were so keen on her meeting him, he was probably a classic nerd with weird looking glasses and incessant need to talk.

As soon as the thought came to her mind, Hermione chastised herself. The students at Hogwarts and her primary school probably looked at her the same way. Yes, she did have weird hair and a need to blurt out facts, but she was trying to curb her need to show herself as knowledgeable. She would not try to cast this mysterious stranger in the stereotype.

She will go to this party and meet this guy. Maybe it was time to try some of the makeup tips her mother had been trying to teach her. If he was really someone to know, then she would make the effort to get to know him, if not, she would try and have some fun for the night.

And what fun it was…

Stanley Smith was nowhere close to what she had expected, he was better. He turned out to be the one man who would be a perfect fit for her. Yes, he was a bit shy but once they got to talk, the night was spent in a whirlwind of getting to know each other.

The young man before her looked her age or maybe just a year older than her, she could not come out and ask his age now, could she? He was an imposing 5 feet 10 inches with what could be called as an athletic figure, broad shouldered and narrow at the hips. He might pack a punch if he really threw a punch. Hermione was not one to drool over the figure of men but she had to restrain herself from doing so after meeting Stan.

What made Hermione's heart race though were the intense and utterly gorgeous emerald green eyes that seemed to draw her in and look into her very soul. Added to that the messy black hair and the lopsided grin Stan threw her way made her blush like never before. Hermione wondered how this man stayed single so far, any girl with decent looks would have caught him by now. Slowly her confidence began to return, maybe Stan was not interested in an airhead, and maybe he wanted someone with a modicum of intelligence.

When taking to him, Hermione had to refrain from trying to run her hands through his messy hair and feel its texture. Stan had a presence that was screaming at Hermione to snog the daylights out of him. It was a novel experience for the witch who never considered herself desirable or considered herself a romantic. Hermione controlled herself with great difficulty. She convinced her hormones that she would get to know him first and then if everything went well would snog the daylights out of him later.

Talking to him, Hermione learnt that Stan enjoyed reading whatever he could get his hands on but more than that, he enjoyed writing political commentary. He already had an outlet for his voracious reading.

For the first time, Hermione felt inadequate. She too read whatever she could get her hands on, but it was for her own improvement and enjoyment rather than any specific task in mind. She now understood what her parents have been trying to teach her. There was simply no meaning in gathering knowledge for knowledge sake, there has to be a reason for gathering such knowledge.

Hermione only recently decided that she was going to leave Hogwarts at the end of her fifth year but she did not know what she was going to do after that. Taking to Stan told her that the plans need not be concrete, but there should be a direction for her thoughts. The natural progression for Stan was to get into politics, not as a politician directly but as a law maker or helping in governance. He was quite sure where he was going to end up in about 10 years from now on barring any unforeseen circumstances.

It was time for Hermione to change her own line of thinking. It was time to take charge of her life. She was going to take Stanley Smith as her inspiration. It also helped that she was seriously infatuated with him.

Meanwhile, Stan was also in a similar state of mind. He was not ready to part company with Hermione Granger; there was something in this girl that was attracting him and not only that, his magic somehow seemed to respond to her presence. Oh! It was nothing like a soul tingling sensation or anything more like in fairy tales, it was like a subtle presence that gave him comfort. It was then that Stan understood that Hermione was a witch, but he could not come right out and say it.

Not only was he not attending Hogwarts as every witch and wizard was mandated to by the current laws, but he was under the official secrecy act. Moreover, he did not truly know Hermione Granger and so was unwilling to open up about his life to her, but at the same time he wanted to, his magic was pushing him to. Though he was willing to talk to her and get to know her, he did not have a valid reason to detain her longer.

Taking matters into his hands, Stanley decided that he would correspond with Hermione through her parents. They would surely have a way to send letters to her and maybe they would agree to include some of his.

…..

All of this flashed through Hermione and Stan's minds during the short time it took for them to land in Hermione's backyard.

* * *

A/N: Recently I came across a story by offsides titled 'Long live the queen'. It is along the similar lines of Harry taking the help of the queen and the muggle world to get one over the British wizarding world. I liked the story. Once I felt that the story may influence my own idea, I stopped reading it. If there are any similarities with that story in this one, please excuse me. I can only say that similarities are totally incidental. Apologies in advance if my story has any similarities with any other story out there. -HH


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or other works that may be familiar in the story. I only own the idea and the words that go into making the story.**

 **Crusade**

 **Chapter 2**

Not a moment after they landed in the backyard of her parents' house, Hermione was engulfed by a frantic mother; "we were so worried, dear" she exclaimed before unceremoniously dragging them both into the well-lighted living room.

Inside the room and surrounded by her family and her friend, Hermione felt a bit irrational at her thought of welcoming her death just a few minutes ago. Then again, if not for Stan, she would have been playing the harp by now. She thought herself to be a Christian in not only her beliefs but also in actions, and so she was quite sure that Hell would not have been her destination.

"Oh! Mum, dad, Stan helped me out in a bind tonight and guess what, he is a wizard."

By now both Hermione and Stan had removed their masks and the elder Grangers could see that it was indeed Stanley Smith, the young man who they suspected had captured their daughter's heart. After greeting and thanking the young man enthusiastically, everyone settled around the table. It was nearing midnight but the adrenaline high for the two teens and the anxiety for the two adults would keep them awake for a bit longer. Stan was urged to stay back for some time and he agreed, he also had a motive to do so.

Stan began to fidget and it was quite noticeable, the three Grangers were quite interested in the reasons for Stan's nervousness. They did not know the young man for long, true, but the short time they interacted with him, Dan and Emma were impressed. Reading between the lines in Hermione's letters to them, Emma was quite sure that Hermione was infatuated.

"Hermione," Stan tried to gauge the mood of the one person he was most interested in, "Before we go any further, I have a confession to make."

After such an opening, there was no chance for any of the Grangers to divert their attention. Hermione had a small panic attack, 'Is he going to breakup with me?' the thought was irrational because, primarily, Stan was not even dating her!

"My name is not Stanley Smith," he said without preamble, "I am Harry Potter."

The elder Grangers were surprised, not because of the false name given to them, but that Harry Potter was sitting before them. They knew about Harry Potter, may be not really well, but their daughter did tell them about the most famous wizard after Albus Dumbledore in the modern era.

As for Hermione, she was shocked. She of course knew who Harry Potter was.

…..

 _ **Hermione's story of her stay at Hogwarts**_

Even before Hermione boarded the train to go to Hogwarts, she heard that Harry Potter was coming to Hogwarts. After the sorting, the only thing she heard was why Harry Potter did not come to Hogwarts. Several reason were tossed about but her favourite, started by a few muggle-borns in Ravenclaw house, was that Mars needed heroes and who better than Harry Potter?

Even though the topic of Harry Potter's absence at Hogwarts was on everyone's tongue and even after the paper picked up on it, there was no word from either the Minister of Magic or the headmaster. Frankly, the lack of any reaction would not have been out of place but for the fact that it was Harry Potter that was missing. Apparently, he was not seen for ten years and the only one who saw him recently was the groundskeeper Hagrid. Hermione was surprised that a half giant who was banned from using magic was sent to bring the hero out into public eye.

Rumours began circulating that Harry Potter was being trained in secret. Why would he need training if there were no more death eaters according to the Minister of magic?

A few said that he was disgusted by the treatment of non-pure-bloods and so left the country. This was surely by a muggle-born.

Then there was one that Harry Potter thought himself so high and mighty that he did not want to interact with the common masses and so did not want to attend Hogwarts. He was already so learned in magic, why would he need to attend school? This was probably from a pure-blood or a death eater sympathizer.

Then there was one that he lost his magic on the day he defeated 'You-Know-Who' and so was residing in the muggle world.

Evidently, Dumbledore was hounded for answers and the headmaster was either refusing to or unable to give them.

Through all of this, Hermione was unable to feel at home in her new school. Her old tormentors seemed to have returned even in the magical world with new faces, ostracizing her for her drive to excel at academics. Her desire to show herself knowledgeable had the same reactions from her peers as those in her primary school had. Meaning that she was friendless.

Unfortunately for Hermione, the magical world added a new dimension to her friendlessness. It was bigotry and she happened to belong to one of the select group that was on the receiving end of torments. It was never physical and never in the sight of someone who could put a stop, but Hermione was a constant target of verbal bullying.

Hermione's desire to be the best at her studies meant that the house where the studious and the intelligent resided, Ravenclaw, turned their backs to her plight. Her own house Gryffindor, the so called family, the house of courage and chivalry turned a blind eye. She was not the sole target of bullying, almost all of the muggleborns and a few half-bloods were too, but she certainly one of the most frequent targets. Apparently, the lack of Harry Potter in their midst gave the bullies courage and the staff and the 'light' side were depressed.

Things came to a head, at least for Hermione at Halloween the first year at Hogwarts. While the world outside was celebrating the downfall of 'You-Know-Who', she was crying her eyes out in a stuffy bathroom on the second floor. The verbal bullying by the Slytherins and sometimes the Ravenclaws was bearable as long as she held onto the hope that her family, her house, would come to shield her when needed. When one of her own house mates, one Ronald Weasley, called her an annoying 'Know-It-All' and mocked her being friendless because of that, Hermione could not take it anymore.

The result, sequestering herself in a bathroom and have a good cry. She was still the naïve little girl who wanted to impress her teachers and her fellow students, only that she was now twelve years old and on the cusp of being independent. She thought that she could impress the 'Boy-Who-Lived' with her knowledge and become his friend. Hermione was not gullible enough to think that she would be popular, but at least she would have had a few friends. She had demanded the sorting hat to put her into Gryffindor house, because honestly, where else would Harry Potter go?

Turned out that it was one of her biggest mistakes. The house was supposed to be family, but it turned out that even family members could not tolerate her. Hermione could readily admit that she could be overbearing and pushy sometimes but the extent of verbal bullying left her shocked. Her devotion for Professor McGonagall came crashing down when the woman did not bother to come into the common room even once, let alone ask the first years about settling into the new environment. How could she stop bullying, if she did not know about it? How could she know about the bullying if she never cared to look for it?

Sometimes Hermione wondered if there was a hidden agenda. Everyone, even the staff, could see that Professor Snape was goading his students to torment others and sometimes even he would do it. None of the other professors curbed his tendency or stop other students from bullying.

Crying her eyes out finally gave Hermione the perspective she lacked so far. She understood that everyone was interested in their own comfort and ascendance, even the teachers and the so called 'leader of light' Albus Dumbledore. Unless something impacted them directly, they were not going to take notice or interfere.

There was no one to protect the weak and those that needed protection, and that was the reality of life. The police force or in this world the auror force was bogged down by many rules and red tape. They apparently could not enter Hogwarts without the headmaster's permission and he wanted to keep the school from the ministry's interference. On the other hand, the minister himself was discriminatory and rumoured to accept bribes to get things done even if they were against the law of the land.

Hermione realized that the cycle of bigotry was started at Hogwarts and abetted by the attitude of the ministry. It would take a genuinely good person to break the cycle of lethargy and a serious lack of will in the ministry.

Maybe this Harry Potter would have done that or others would have rallied around him to get things done, but that was not going to happen.

There was no point in crying as there was no one to dry her tears. With that Hermione ran a hand over her cheeks to clear away the tears and the stain they had left. She resolved to do better, be better and not care for what others thought about her.

Though it was not a welcome shock, Hermione finally understood her parents' stance that, yes it was good to have friends but it was better to cast them away if those friends were dragging you down. In her case, her classmates and house mates were actually working against her to make her life miserable. There was no use for fair weather friends and that was what most of her classmates were. She was visible only when they needed work done or to earn points.

Hermione resolved to duke it out. She was going to make the same people who looked down at her, take note of her actions. Why should she bow down to the whims of a few immature children? But when it came to bigotry based on blood status, she knew that it was a more serious problem, one which she could not tackle that easily. If she could not fight it, she was going to live with it and even ignore it when she could. When the time was right, Hermione hoped that she will be there to lend a hand.

Until now, the bushy haired girl tried to keep out of everyone's way just so that she could escape the taunts but found out that it helped only to some extent. Hermione had to get back to her dorm and that meant she had to cross the common room and had to live with her dorm mates. Then there was the library where she had to go to complete her assignments and that was also a spot that the Ravenclaws also hung about. Whatever she did, she could not escape by being meek.

From now on she was not going to take any flak from anyone. The other houses, were not vicious but the Slytherins could physically hurt her. She could not dodge them, she had to meet them on equal ground and for that she would have to learn to defend herself. Her focus had to change to more physical aspects, she had to get a little better in her fitness, either to stand her ground and take any blows or to run away.

Until the time she developed enough physical strength and magical power, Hermione decided to keep her head down and not attract any attention to herself. If that meant that she did not win any points for Gryffindor house, she would not lose any sleep over it. It was time that the other members of her house learnt a lesson in payback.

Learning all she could became a priority for Hermione and performing in class took a back seat. Oh, she would give her all during the tests but that's all. If her housemates were to end up losing for that, she would just shrug her shoulders and go about her day. That was what they did to her plight after all, she was just going to give them all of that back.

What Professor McGonagall told her parents was that passing the O. was a rite of passage in the magical world. It meant that one has enough control over their magic not to be a danger to others. What Hermione learnt subsequently was that passing a few O. gave a witch or a wizard the right not to continue their education if they so wanted. It also meant that a muggleborn could leave the magical world without losing their memories or magic and that was what she was going to do. The rest of Hogwarts and the magical world could go up in flames for all she cared.

It was not just out of a sense of revenge or out of spite that Hermione resolved not to contribute to the magical world. A hard look at what Hogwarts offered opened her eyes to some stark truths which Hermione did not want to admit to herself. All in all, Hogwarts which was supposed to be the premier institution for magic in all of Europe and more importantly, the only one in the UK, was not all that great.

An education institution that was sub-par in the quality of education was a joke. Hermione could honestly say that only Professors McGonagall and Flitwick were doing justice to their positions. Professor Sprout may also be, but the subject itself was not that challenging, at least in the first year. Then there was Snape who oozed hostility against anyone not in Slytherin house and who thought that writing instructions was enough for a class that was mainly practical. Astronomy did not come anywhere near to what was known in the muggle world.

History was current to the time the teacher died, which was more than a century ago. Defence Against the Dark Arts was taught by a stuttering fool who was afraid by his own shadow. How was he supposed to teach students to defend themselves?

Then there was the headmaster who was more worried about a student who probably was smarter than herself by electing not to come to Hogwarts. Later on, Hermione learnt that the headmaster was forced to kill their DADA teacher for trying to steal a priceless artifact from within Hogwarts. She was not sure if it was only a rumour, but the warning about not going to the third floor corridor being removed, told a different tale.

To make matters worse, there was no replacement teacher for that subject, those who were willing to study had to rely on books while those like Ron Weasley who felt that Christmas had come twice did not bother.

No, Hermione was not impressed at all.

Her second year at Hogwarts was even worse than her first.

It all started with the newest DADA professor who was a very handsome wizard. Hermione along with every unattached witch had a crush on that wizard. At least for Hermione, that crush died a terrible death right in the first class with the new professor. In the first class, Hermione was suspicious of the professor's ability and by the next two, she was disgusted. The man was inept to the highest degree, if Hermione did not know better, she would have thought that Gilderoy Lockhart stole other people's achievements and made them his, rather than her current thoughts that his exploits were works of fiction.

Then things really started to go weird from Halloween onwards. First the caretaker Mr. Filch's cat Mrs. Norris was petrified on the same day that was celebrated all over Britain as a day of good triumphing over evil. If it was just a petrification, no one would have bothered, but the chilling message left on the wall in blood could not be ignored. The next month saw two more petrifications, this time they were wizards. With one of the two being a muggleborn and the other a half-blood, Draco Malfoy who considered himself a Slytherin prince, began strutting around the castle claiming that it was time to cleanse the wizarding world.

Hermione was not a direct target as she took to using the shadows and a few silencing spells very effectively in staying out of sight. If whoever was doing the petrification was intent on targeting the muggleborns, then Hermione was going to make sure that she would be doubly cautious.

One thing that really bugged Hermione was that the staff knew how to reverse the petrification but even the headmaster did not know what was causing the petrification. The logic in that argument was lost on the bushy haired witch. The other point that did not sit well with her was the total lack of urgency in treating the two boys who were petrified. The school nurse was apparently waiting for the Mandrakes the second years were rearing to mature. Was there no crop from the last year? Did the last year's students not do the same exercise they were currently doing? If so, then did they know that the mandrakes would be needed this year? That was a chilling thought and Hermione chastised herself for being paranoid. How about buying the ingredient from another source? It was not as if the Mandrakes were seasonal, that was why the greenhouses at Hogwarts were separated from each other, magic can make seasons immaterial.

It was the lives of two students that was on the line and the headmaster was apathetic to their plight. How was that permitted? So many questions went unanswered according to Hermione, she did not dare put them across. Not that she was afraid but she was unwilling to be in the limelight?

Could she write an anonymous letter to the Daily Prophet? The thought stayed in Hermione's mind for a long time but finally, she did not have the courage to do so. Instead she spent the time scouring the library for information on not only the cause for the petrification but also for increasing her knowledge base.

Just a few days before Christmas holidays, Hermione came across a wailing, not moaning, Myrtle. The ghost was up to her normal tricks of flooding the bathroom but apparently she had a reason this time. Myrtle was hurt because someone threw a diary through her and that injured the teenage ghost's sentiments.

Hermione was at least sympathetic to the ghost's plight; they were given the same treatment after all. Ignored if they were lucky or bullied if not. Myrtle took her revenge by flooding the girl's bathroom and not allowing anyone to use it, Hermione did want revenge and it would not be so simply, but she did not have that chance for revenge yet. She did try her best to placate the wailing ghost and took away the diary which was blocking the drainage out of the bathroom.

The diary was nothing special. It was a plain one with black leather cover with the initials T. M. Riddle on the back cover. Surprisingly, there was not even a single word written inside it. Hermione did not really have time to think about the diary as it was time for the final class of the day before going home for Christmas. She simply put the diary in the bottom of her book bag and promptly forgot about it.

When Hermione got home for the holiday season, she got a dragon hide book bag with charms for weight and for expandability. It was during the process of transferring all her books from the old bag to the new one that Hermione first felt something wrong with the diary, it was calling to her to write in it. and Hermione was ready to write in it too; she had a decent enough control over her mind, but Lord Voldemort was not going to be stopped by some school girl's occlumency.

Thankfully, the call for brunch came at that time from her mother and it was enough to snap Hermione out of her compulsion. She immediately recognized the danger of the diary but not what the diary actually was. This time, Hermione took some time to wrap the diary carefully in the old book bag and put it at the bottom of her closet, hidden well enough among her old books and such, so that her parents do not accidentally come into contact with it.

Hermione did not know enough of magic to study the diary, but it will not always be so. With that resolved, she pushed the matter of the diary to the back of her mind and enjoyed the rest of the holiday with her parents.

The resumption of school brought its own strangeness. Hermione learnt that Ginny Weasley had to undergo treatment over her unhealthy obsession over a diary and strangely enough an imaginary guy called Tom.

Hermione suspected that Tom was not really imaginary and was linked to the diary. She felt a little guilty at not surrendering the diary to the authorities; Hermione feared that nothing constructive will be done with it or even worse inadvertently set off whatever was causing the petrifications from within the diary. She was no longer the authority loving young girl, Hermione knew that she would keep it safe. That justification she gave herself was enough not to surrender the diary. Her own experience with the school authorities was not that stellar. Hermione determined that nothing would be done to help the school children and she was proven correct. Colin and Justin had to suffer until the end of the school year to be normal again. They lost almost a complete year and neither the Ministry of Magic nor the headmaster Dumbledore felt anything wrong about that.

The authorities did indeed breathe a sigh of relief that there were no more petrifications and the matter was promptly forgotten by everyone. What irked Hermione was that the families of those affected were not even notified. Would that have happened if one of those affected was a pure-blood? Hermione was sure of the answer.

Hermione's third year at Hogwarts brought with it its own strangeness. It was almost as if strange was the new normal in this world. The consequence of that year was the total destruction of Hermione's faith in the authorities of the magical world.

This time the danger started even before she got to Hogwarts. Sirius Black, who was supposed to have betrayed the Potters to their death, escaped from the high security Azkaban prison and was apparently on the way to Hogwarts. The reason, apparently, to kill the last Potter. The man may not have seen a newspaper in the prison, and so may not know that Harry Potter was not at Hogwarts, but what surprised Hermione was the total lack of any response from the Ministry, either in words or in actions.

The reactions of those in power showed that the world revolved around Harry Potter. Sirius Black was targeting Harry Potter and was apparently coming to Hogwarts, but Harry Potter was not there at Hogwarts. So what does the Minister for Magic do? He ignores the danger all together! There was no Harry Potter for Sirius Black to target and therefore there was no reason for the Ministry to interfere in Hogwarts affairs, after all, it was Dumbledore's responsibility to take care of Hogwart's security. There were more than 250 school children who could not defend themselves against a seasoned killer and since the main target was not there, there was no need to protect the others. What kind of logic was that?

Well, the ministry did respond to the threat in one way. They sent the undersecretary to the minister, Madam Dolores Umbridge, as the DADA professor.

If one witch was the answer to a deranged convict, then the witch would have to be excellent in practical defence. To Hermione's disgust, the new professor turned out to be a colossal waste of time. She was a ministry representative for sure, not to protect or prepare the students, but to actually hinder their education. The professor was interested only in forwarding the Minister of Magic's agenda to make everyone dependent solely on the ministry for every need, not that the ministry was doing a great job in that.

Hermione learnt that the professor did not encourage using a wand in the class to learn the spells, instead the students were forced to read. Normally, this would have been right up Hermione's alley, but one look at the subject matter told her that even reading the book was a waste of time. Hermione was dismayed to learn that the same book was in the hands of every student irrespective of the year they were in.

The book was a ministry prescribed defence text which could be summarized in three sentences; you do not know how to defend yourself, you cannot defend yourself and finally, you must not defend yourself. The ministry apparently has aurors standing by to attend each and every compliant from the wizarding population. It was strange in a way that the book asks the witches and wizards to rely on the ministry for their troubles when the first chapter was dedicated to stress the point that there would not be any problems in the magical world that require the intervention of the aurors.

Perhaps that was the reason why the auror force was so small and the finding to the aurors was being reduced every year!

According to the ministry of magic, their view of utopia in the magical world was actually vindicated by the Sirius Black incident. The man was not a threat to the wizarding world in general, no, he was a threat only to Harry Potter and so there was no need for the Ministry of Magic to intervene. Even though the guards heard Sirius Black muttering about Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic did not deem it as a threat, but rather the ramblings of a mad man. The minister was so confident that Black would not harm the students at Hogwarts, that he did not sanction a auror guard to the school.

Hermione was aghast. Sirius Black was a fugitive, and was a notorious mass murderer and the minister was confident that he would not harm any of the children? Thirteen muggles were killed in the collateral damage when Black killed Pettigrew, a fact that seemed to have slipped from the minds of the authorities, Hermione thought with a scoff. She wondered if the fugitive was even sane, almost everyone in the British magical world knew that Harry Potter was not at Hogwarts. If the man was sane, then why was he mumbling that 'He is at Hogwarts'?

It was not something that Hermione wanted, but that particular thought would not leave her alone for quite some time. Thankfully, the time turner was a boon. Professor McGonagall gave it to Hermione with the understanding that it would be used to attend the extra classes, Muggle Studies and Divination, that Hermione was taking up.

Only a few days into the term, Hermione understood that both the subjects were a huge waste of her time. Hermione had to keep up appearances in order to prevent McGonagall to confiscate the time turner and so attended the classes religiously. She was present in the classes only physically but gleefully used the time to expand her knowledge in subjects of interest to her Transfiguration, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, and Charms. Of course, DADA was added to the list after a couple of weeks of Madam Umbridge.

Halloween that year was something to remember to everyone in Gryffindor house. Sirius Black was in the castle and apparently attacked the fat lady's portrait to gain entrance to the Gryffindor dorms. Hermione was surprised that even after more than two months of escaping, Black did not know that Harry Potter was not at Hogwarts. But then the man might be quite insane and would not have access to papers when he was in prison. Why did the man specifically target Gryffindor tower and that too when no one was around?

That was another mystery that went unanswered.

All the students were ushered into the great hall and sleeping bags provided to sleep for the night while the staff members swept the castle for any signs of the man. Everyone was terrified but obeyed the teachers and slept in the open for the night. What surprised Hermione was that none of the students remembered the incident or that they were asleep in the great hall, the next day.

Hermione asked about and found that almost all the students thought that she was deluded when asked about Sirius Black's presence in the castle. She realized that the students were somehow made to forget the incident. Were they obliviated? It made sense that all the students were at the same place and so it was easy to modify their memories en masse. Hermione did not know how that was done but why was she unaffected? Did she have some resistance to such memory modifications? Hermione did not come across any references to a defense against mind wipes, but she was determined to find out.

The important question though was who was responsible for performing the obliviations? Was it Umbridge on the orders of the ministry or was it a member of the staff on Dumbledore's orders?

Any one of them had enough of a reason to do it. The Minister of magic was facing flak regarding the security of Azkaban. If one prisoner was able to escape, then any number of the others could do too. The minister no doubt wanted to suppress the news of Black's presence at Hogwarts to prevent another backlash from the public.

Dumbledore obviously wanted to continue the charade that Hogwarts was the safest place in Britain barring Gringotts. That a murderer was in the castle and could have encountered the students blew the claim out of the water. The headmaster obviously did not want to face irate parents or give the ministry more leverage to interfere in Hogwarts' matters.

While both arguments had some merit, it was the response to the Black sighting that was unacceptable to Hermione. Instead of increasing security around the castle or making an attempt to apprehend Black, the victims were made to forget the incident and thereby increasing the danger the students were in. Without the knowledge that Black was seen inside the castle, the students may become complacent and not take adequate measures to protect themselves.

Meanwhile, away from the public eye and in the political field, the ministry wanted to take control of Hogwarts. With the blessings of the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, Umbridge was appointed as the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts giving her power over even Dumbledore.

However, the move was severely contested by Dumbledore stating Hogwarts sovereignty as mandated by the founder's charter. The headmaster had enough cult following that the appointment was retracted and Umbridge was left to lick her wounds. The woman's ignobility was further increased when the end of year results in DADA was announced. The OWL and NEWT scores in DADA were apparently the worst in the history of Hogwarts leaving the Minister of Magic in complete shame for his role in overruling the headmaster.

It was his move to appoint Umbridge to the post of DADA professor and it backfired spectacularly. That incident added credibility to Dumbledore's argument of leaving Hogwarts' matters to the headmaster and staff and not have the ministry interfering.

While there were rumours, perpetrated mainly by the Weasley twins about Black's continued presence in the castle or within the grounds, he was never seen by the student population again until the fateful day of her fourth year. So, the novelty of a prisoner of Azkaban in Hogwarts faded away and things went back to normal.

During this time, things came to a sticky end in her interactions with fellow Gryffindors. It started with Ron Weasley's accusation that her half kneazle, Crookshanks, ate his pet rat Scabbers. Ron never took care of his rat and if his words were to be believed, never wanted the rat in the first place. But when he thought that the rat was killed, his first accusation was against Hermione.

It was a strange argument since, Crookshanks was not the only cat or kneazle within Gryffindor dorms. Moreover, her pet never entered the boy's dorm. Hermione argued that there was no evidence of her pet eating Ron's pet and even if he did it, it was only natural that a cat would eat a rat. It was Ron's responsibility to care for his pet and that he should get over it. It was probably a tad insensitive but Hermione was beyond caring at that point, since most of the students began taking the redhead's side of the argument.

The argument became more than just the cat killing a rat and turned to matters academic and her refusal to help Ron with his homework. Ron had most of their year and his brothers supporting him. Their year mates probably wanted Ron to win the argument and get help with their own academics. Hermione would have none of it though and even though she practically had no support, stated categorically that she was not going to help whatever may happen.

Since that incident, Hermione stopped caring for others and only wanted to get the best out of Hogwarts, finish her education and get out.

It was only Harry Potter's letter that forced her to think about her attitude. How could she forget the vow she made right in her first year? Why was she going to abandon her path and take the easy way out? Yes, all that had happened and the apathy shown by both Dumbledore and the Ministry was discouraging, but that was why she vowed to do her best and take the opportunity to change the world for the better. When did she give up?

That was the reason why Hermione decided to smuggle the list of muggleborn students. She had to warn the others about the possibility of further persecution in the wizarding world. Luna Lovegood, a Ravenclaw who was a year younger than her and whose father managed the wizarding tabloid Quibbler, talked about the new plot by the Minister of magic to control Hogwarts. An auror named Dawlish was going to be appointed as the new DADA professor and that this man was even worse than Umbridge. Dumbledore could not stop the appointment as there was no other applications for that position. Moreover, the headmaster's position was a little tenacious as the DADA professor he himself appointed turned out to be Barty Crouch Jr, an Azkaban escapee, masquerading as Alastor Moody.

Luna's father apparently was suspicious of Dawlish. He thought that the auror was actually a death eater and may use the position to further discriminate the muggle-born and half-blood students with the intention of driving them away from the wizarding world. Even though he was a ministry employee, Dawlish may have his own agenda to take the position. With the events at the Quidditch world cup during the summer before Hermione's fourth year, where several muggles and muggle-born students were targeted by a group of death eaters, Mr. Lovegood was apprehensive that death eater activity may be on the rise.

No one believed Luna's words and dismissed them as mere ramblings, but Hermione was prejudiced enough to believe it. What compelled Hermione was the rumour about the deplorable acts that this Dawlish may have performed under 'You-Know-Who's' command. Such atrocities may again see the light of the day with Dawlish being in a professional role within Hogwarts.

Hermione's resolve strengthened when she heard about the possibility of the dark lord or 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' was not really dead. There was a very good chance that the increased death eater activity was a preparation for bringing the dark lord from the dead or even under a newly resurrected Lord Voldemort. Susan Bones whose aunt was the head of the law enforcement department was the source of these whispers. They were fueled by the Weasley twins whose father was not only a ministry employee but also apparently, a part of a vigilante group led by Professor Dumbledore. That the group was reformed led to speculation among the twins' circle that there would be dark times ahead.

Hermione thought that the other muggle-born students should enter the magical world with their eyes open to the possibility of discrimination and bigotry. She may not be able to stop them from attending Hogwarts, but she was going to try her best to ensure that they enter with their eyes open. That was her stated reason and it was enough for her to try and steal the list of muggle-born students and their addresses from the ministry.

What an eye opening experience that turned out to be.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or other works that may be familiar in the story. I only own the idea and the words that go into making the story.**

 **Crusade**

 **Chapter 3**

 _ **Present Day, night time at Granger residence**_

The three listeners, Hermione's parents and Harry were wide eyed at the narration. Dan and Emma knew the bigotry and the discrimination that Hermione was forced to face at Hogwarts but they did not know that neither the ministry nor Dumbledore were doing anything to stamp it out. In some instances, it seemed to them that Hogwarts staff was actually encouraging the discrimination. Was this an effort to discourage the others to leave the magical world and help the pure-blood population land the cushy jobs?

The two adults realized that Hermione was quick to notice this attitude and making her own plans to leave the magical world. This angered them, after all they paid a hefty amount as Hogwarts tuition, and still their daughter was unable to gain any benefit. However, it also increased their pride in Hermione; she was able to gauge the situation and take a mature decision. They were going to do everything in their power to help Hermione out.

Harry, meanwhile, was fuming. He knew that the magical world was not an equitable place; the witches and wizards he knew told him that. They were mostly muggle-born or half-blood people who could not find good jobs in the wizarding world and so returned to the muggle world. They felt that most of the jobs were hereditary and it was difficult to break such a trend.

What Hermione was saying that the two major pillars of the wizarding world, education and employment were corrupted enough that the pure-bloods were getting the major advantages. The discrimination he heard about was not passive, but actively propagated. This was against all modern laws and acceptability of polite society.

Even though the muggle government knew about the magical world, they were sorely lacking in the details of what was happening in that world. Yes, they had a few spies in the Ministry of Magic, but they were unable to influence the law makers. They needed someone to be able to change the way the everyday witches and wizards were thinking. It needed a very loud and very public revealing of dirty laundry for the magical world to change.

For any coup to be successful and long lasting, public opinion had to be with them.

With Hermione inside Hogwarts, they would have an inside source of not just news, but also the direction the winds were blowing. Not to mention they could get to know the latest crop of disgruntled witches and wizards. Hermione could talk to the student population and try to get them on the side of the muggle government if their plans were to succeed. That would be a coup of monumental proportions. Harry knew that any change would not work or succeed without the majority of the population backing it and what better than the students who would influence the future.

Harry would have to talk to Hermione and get her to meet with his superiors. If it works out, then they could actually put their planning into motion and now that Lord Voldemort was most likely alive again, they have the right atmosphere to bring change; but they have to hurry.

His musings were cut short by Hermione. After her retelling of her life at Hogwarts, Hermione was feeling a little winded. It was more about the trauma of all the injustice happening in the wizarding world put together like that which caused Hermione to feel terrible rather than the story telling itself. Now that she felt a little lighter after revealing everything to her parents, Hermione focused on Harry.

"Did you know I was a witch when you met my parents? Was that why you wanted to befriend me at the party?" Hermione asked with a little accusation in her voice.

Harry exhaled loudly; he hoped that his explanation would satisfy Hermione. "No Hermione. I came to your parents as part of my dental care requirement through NHS. During the course of my interactions they did tell me about their daughter studying in a boarding school in Scotland. I had no idea at that time that it was Hogwarts."

"At that time…?" Emma interrupted, a little intrigued at Harry's words.

"Yes… at that time…," Harry smiled, "When I met you though, I knew that you were a witch."

"How so?" Hermione questioned totally confused.

Harry ducked his head to hide his blush, "My magic called out to you."

"What?" Hermione sputtered while her mother nearly screamed out the same thing.

Dan meanwhile was in a state of near panic, his vision clouded by his imagination of Hermione running away on a motorbike with Harry. His little girl was not growing up, he refused to accept that. "What do you mean?" he finally managed, swallowing his irrational fear.

"Every witch and wizard have an aura. It is an unconscious projection of their true personality. As no two personalities are exactly the same, no two auras are the same. Every magical human can be trained to recognize such auras while other magical species do it naturally." Harry took a deep breath, here things get a bit complicated and a little surreal. "When two people are compatible enough … when their personalities are a close match, their magic seems to interact or what I would like to say, call to each other."

"How do you recognize that?" Emma asked.

Harry looked at Hermione, "In my case, even though I met you for the first time, I felt as if I could trust you with my deepest secrets. I did not want to part with you that night. If I had less self-control, I might have abducted you."

Dan stiffened at hearing that. Harry's words came very close to what he thought earlier. If he was surprised at the young man's description, he was shocked when Hermione blurted out her own feelings.

"Is that why I wanted to snog the day lights out of you?" Then she promptly buried her face in her hands to conceal the bright blush that erupted on her face.

Hermione's mother was stunned at that declaration. She knew that Hermione was a fairly rational person and was not prone to girlish fantasies. Hearing her proclamation was truly shocking. Her interactions with Harry showed her that he was shy and introverted even, and Hermione was the same. For both of them to feel comfortable with each other was a big step but to have such thoughts on their first meeting was something incredible. Maybe there was something to this 'magic calling to each other'.

To say that Harry was shocked was an understatement. He felt like he could spend a lifetime with Hermione; it was love at first sight for him. For Hermione to feel the same way too was a blessing. He could not stop his feelings to show on his face. He also could not stop the laughter that was bubbling forth; he felt as if a weight was lifted off him and it was funny too.

Hermione's parents also joined in his mirth at the expense of their daughter and Hermione joined in reluctantly. Mainly because Harry was not offended.

When the laughter subsided, Hermione asked, "When you said 'calling to you' do you mean like a bond?"

Harry chuckled ruefully at that. "Bonds are a myth Hermione, nothing more. The most you can expect is a sense of where your partner is if you have a very close and deep abiding love for him. Then there is a maternal instinct of a mother for her child, that's it. No magically getting married without your notice out of the blue." He finished with a mischievous grin.

Hermione swatted his arm and wiped her brow theatrically, "That's good to hear. I would like to know you better before I commit myself."

Dan cleared his throat clearly uncomfortable with the talk, "About that. Can you tell us why you did not attend Hogwarts like Hermione here? And what is with the official secrets act that you mentioned."

The three Grangers were interested to know Harry's story but it was getting too late. "Why don't I come early tomorrow and we can talk about it."

Emma seconded that notion and demanded that he appear for breakfast. With that settled, Harry apparated out to get some sleep for the night.

 _ **Harry's story…**_

The Dursleys at Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey, were quite normal thank you very much. It was their nephew, Harry Potter, that was freakish.

Oh! Harry knew that he was not normal. The turning his teacher's wig blue, the vanishing from the playground and appearing on the school's roof, the talking to snakes, and surviving on the meagre rations that his relatives fed him. Oh, yes, he was not normal in any sense of the world.

At the same time, Harry also knew that he was not a freak as his aunt and uncle claimed. He was fairly intelligent and that led him to riffle through many books where he learnt terms like telekinesis, meta physics, mind control, and illusions. They were not freakish ways but probably for his 'normal' relatives they were.

So, Harry decided that he was not normal but there were others like him too. It was only a matter of time before he got out from under his aunt and uncle's thumb and explore the world. In the meantime, if he was to show his intelligence by scoring lower than his dumb cousin, it was no big deal for Harry Potter.

When the giant of a man came to collect him and introduce a whole new world to him, for the first time in his life, Harry felt as if he was home. Entering the magical world, he knew that he belonged here.

That euphoria did not last long for Harry. When Hagrid produced a key for his vault, Harry was a little angered. According to his uncle, financial matters were sacrosanct and should not be in control of others. That someone had the key to his vault and probably knew his financial situation was one thing, it could have been a measure of security, but it was difficult to imagine that the same person did not know about his treatment at the hands of his relatives and still left him to suffer. That did not sit well with Harry.

Meeting a professor who stuttered enough that students could not understand him. The knowledge that one of the professors was a ghost and talked nothing but Goblin rebellions. What was he getting into?

Then there was the bombshell that the wizard who killed his parents and tried to kill him was still alive out there. It did not take a genius to figure out that his life would be in danger from the time Harry entered the magical world. What about the dark lord's followers? They were free too. Harry scoffed at the justice system; witches and wizards under suspicion were freed without a trial. Harry was not gullible enough to think that the followers of 'You-Know-Who' would leave him alone and not try to eliminate him given a chance.

Then again, what about the name 'Boy-Who-Lived' and 'You-Know-Who'? Harry did not want to be a celebrity and it seemed that magical world was adamant on making him one. It hurt Harry to think that the populace of the magical world forgot about his parents and whenever someone gawked at him, Harry bristled at the obliviousness of the populace and his own feelings at thought of losing his parents to gain the fame.

His first trip to Diagon Alley was indeed … magical, but Harry was uncomfortable with the encounter. He needed information, and Hagrid was of no help to him as any question that Harry had was answered by a quick "I don't know Harry, you need not worry." Or "That's why you are going to Hogwarts, to learn new things."

The few books Harry bought under the watchful eye of Hagrid did not tell him anything about the pulse of the magical world. On one hand, he was very excited to explore and learn about the new world where he knew he belonged, on the other hand, the talk of dark lords, the undercurrent of discrimination, isolationistic tendencies, made Harry wary of stepping into the wizarding world.

He needed information, information that Hagrid and the books were not willing to give him.

A few days later Harry went to visit Diagon Alley again. His relatives were surprisingly accommodating to his request not to disturb him, probably fearing retaliation by the giant of a man who was very friendly with him. The book about magical methods of transportation gave him the knowledge about a Knight Bus, transportation for the stranded witch or wizard, which he made use of. He thought about visiting the bookstore for more books or maybe even the newspaper section if they had one, but then again, the newspapers may be controlled by the ministry. That left very little sources for Harry but the first one he would go to would be Gringotts.

As soon as he entered the bank, Harry made a beeline for the first free teller he could see. Sketching a shallow bow, Harry addressed the goblin with a hint of respect in his tone. "Sir, I do not know who to address my questions to, but I am in need of some information and Gringotts was the first place I came to."

The goblin looked at the boy before him shrewdly. He knew who the boy was, every goblin knew who he was the moment he stepped into the bank, but he was still surprised that Harry Potter felt the need to approach the goblins for information.

Still, he could not divulge any information that freely. "… and why did you not seek the wizarding companion who took you to buy your supplies?"

Harry sighed, he did not want to insult the witches and wizards of the magical world, but there was still a polite way of putting his views across. "The companion who showed me around Diagon Alley did not answer any of my questions. He did not tell me much about my parents too."

The goblin teller peered down at him. He could really sympathize with the boy before him. It seemed that everyone except Harry Potter knew the history of Harry and the other Potters. That was not something to be proud of for a young boy.

Making a decision, the goblin answered, "Very well, I need your key to confirm that you are Harry Potter."

Harry sighed, "I am sorry sir," he sketched a bow again, "I do not have the key, Hagrid took it back with him."

That was wrong on many accounts according to goblin law, but wizarding law allows that a guardian may keep the key. However, the law gets a little muddy when the last member of a family is concerned. If it was a prominent family like the Potters, it was better to err on the side of caution than not. Deciding to leave the decision to the overseer of the Potter accounts, the goblin teller closed his station and motioned Harry to follow him. The walk was not too long before they stopped at an ornate door that held a plaque denoting that the goblin, Grimclaw, inside was the keeper of Black and Potter accounts.

The goblin who sat in that office seemed older to Harry but at the same time the underlying steel could also be seen. As soon as the two entered the office, Grimclaw and the goblin that escorted him to the current office were in a serious discussion. Harry was tempted to fidget under their occasional glances, which to him were more like a glare, but he held himself straight and presented a confident face.

After what was a few minutes, the goblin teller left the office leaving Harry to the tender mercies of Grimclaw. The elder goblin motioned Harry to sit and asked to relate his upbringing until now.

Harry was uncomfortable telling others about his home life, but if the goblin was the keeper of his accounts, he was sure that lying to him would not be beneficial. So he told him about the neglect and about what happened after Hagrid retrieved him and what he learnt subsequently.

Grimclaw was a very patient listener and made appropriate notes. Finally, Harry finished his tale and was exhausted. However, at the same time he felt lighter as if a large burden was removed from his chest. He did not realize it before but the phrase 'A problem shared is a problem halved' did indeed seem to be true.

The goblin's face was impassive but he was having a massive internal struggle. In the strictest sense of law, what Dumbledore did was not wrong. He was after all the magical guardian to Harry Potter and so had control over the boy's finances. The problem though was that Dumbledore named himself the boy's guardian. James and Lily Potter did not give him the authority. In a way, the headmaster usurped the authority and now it seems that Harry Potter's magical guardian did not prepare the boy to face the wizarding world and the immense heritage left by the Potters before him.

For the goblin kind, children were really a gift, a very precious gift of magic. Goblins lived very long lives, even up to a thousand years. To keep the population under control, not every goblin couple is blessed with children and so whoever may have been the parents, all goblin children are considered sacred. To see that the same could not be said of wizarding children and the way that the adults treated them was sad. Moreover, the Potters were always treated with respect by the goblins due to their rich heritage and to see the decline of a family with such a rich heritage did not sit with the elder goblin.

Grimclaw decided to do something unorthodox, that would also have a benefit of poking his tongue at the bigwigs of the wizarding world while helping the child in front of him.

"You are a very curious case Mr. Potter," Grimclaw began. "For one you are the 'Boy-Who-Lived' and dubbed as a national hero. Therefore, everyone and their grandmother wanted a piece of you."

Harry was thunderstruck. 'National hero' he seethed. Did they not have the concept of privacy? Should they not ask him if he wanted to revere him as a hero? Did they not see his sadness for losing his parents? Apparently, no one cared.

Grimclaw felt the change in emotions, now to stroke them more, "You are also the last Potter and with the vast amount of money you will inherit, the one who controls you would have access to that wealth. So, of course, you were to be manipulated."

Harry thought that the shocks were over for the day, but it seemed to him that they were just beginning. The goblin continued, "The chief warlock sealed your parents' will stating war time conditions. He got the decision ratified by the wizengamot and so nothing could be done."

"Who is the chief warlock?" Harry looked at the goblin shrewdly. He felt as if he was being given information so that he could prompt the goblin to answer them. Harry was impressed, Grimclaw was probably bound by some treaty not to disclose information but as his accounts keeper, he was honour bound to answer questions.

"Albus Dumbledore," Grimclaw stated and then volunteered, "He is also the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards."

Harry groaned at that. Too much power in one man's hands. He remembered his uncle always saying that one man should not have too much power since they can corrupt the system. Harry felt as if Albus Dumbledore had done just that. He remembered his aunt's words that Dumbledore dumped him on their doorstep without even their knowledge.

"How can I get the wills unsealed?"

Grimclaw peered at him, "Only the head of house Potter or a magical guardian can do that."

Harry nodded his head, he kind of figured that. "I cannot claim the head of house status until 17. Who is my magical guardian?"

The goblin knew that what was coming next was going to be tricky, "Your magical guardian as named by your parents was Sirius Black, but Albus Dumbledore named himself after the wills were sealed."

Harry was reeling. "Sirius Black?" he nearly shouted. "… but he was supposed to have betrayed my parents."

The goblin shook his head, "After you were born, your parents named him as your godfather. Once that was done, Sirius came to Gringotts, made his will and named you his heir. Why would someone who wanted to have your parents killed name you his heir?"

'Yep,' Harry thought, 'That would make no sense'.

"Wait! Godfather?" he exclaimed. Seeing Grimclaw's nod, he continued, "Why was this not brought up at his trial?"

Grimclaw was getting upset now, "As far as we know, Mr. Black never had a trial. We made enquiries and provided information that he was your godfather and so could not have betrayed your parents. But our words were not heeded and Mr. Black was left to rot in Azkaban."

Harry was also getting angry at the injustice of it all. Unless some new evidence came to light, his godfather was to rot in that hell hole. It seemed to him that many people had vested interest in his life and were controlling events.

Grimclaw continued, "Now that everyone who bore the name Black is dead, Sirius Black is the head of house Black. You are now not only as the heir of House Potter but also that of House Black."

'Keeps getting better and better.' Harry thought.

"Who could have been the heir of House Black if I was not named in Sirius' will?"

"Mr. Draco Malfoy, heir to House Malfoy."

Harry shook his head ruefully. Now he understood. Not only did the headmaster wanted to control him, but one of the death eaters also had a vested interest in him and there was nothing he could do about it. He knew from his studies that the head of House Malfoy, Lucius, was pardoned without due process of law. His claim of being under the 'imperius curse' was accepted by the Minister of Magic, probably after a large amount of gold being exchanged.

Now, knowing that Lord Voldemort was not actually dead, it made a lot of sense to Harry. Malfoy was probably the second in command of all the death eaters and knew or at least suspected that his master was not really dead. With the lull and a false sense of peace in the wizarding world, Malfoy was probably laying the ground work for total dominance once his master returned. Getting control of finances was one thing, but if he could get the 'Boy-Who-Lived' also under his thumb that would be a coup of enormous proportions.

That begs the question, why did Dumbledore not oppose freeing death eaters and get the wizengamot to try every death eater? The chief warlock certainly had the power to do so. Then why did he not? Harry realized that the so called leader of light had a hidden agenda that certainly involved him, probably not to his benefit.

Unfortunately, Harry also realized that he could do nothing about it. It was a perfect Catch-22 situation. His guardian was trying to control him and he could not get away from under the control of the guardian till he was seventeen.

Harry sighed, "I can do nothing to get out of the situation, can I?" he asked with a sad smile.

Grimclaw confirmed that he could not.

"Can I at lease visit the main Potter vault?"

The goblin grinned showing a mouthful of pointed shark like teeth, "Now, that I can do."

Grimclaw explained that since he was the last Potter, Gringotts could give him the status of the Head of House Potter within its walls but nothing would be on paper as such events would be magically recorded at the Ministry. Harry could not officially claim the title as that would bring out the more obscure laws out into the open and put Harry under the spotlight which Grimclaw was sure Harry did not want at this time.

Grimclaw also told him that even though he could visit the main Potter vault, Harry was not allowed to take anything out, even money. The trust vault would be the only source of money for Harry and so he was unable to merge the two vaults like he initially wanted to. Instead of a new key, Harry was given a medallion.

"Any goblin who sees the medallion would bring you directly to me," Grimclaw said leading the way to the main Potter vault. He did not want anyone even in Gringotts to know about the special dispensation given to the heir of Potter and Black families. Though goblins were honorable, they were also notorious for sticking to the rules. Grimclaw felt that his actions, to the benefit of Harry Potter had a small element of uncertainty attached to it and that may be accused of as skirting the rules. That was the reason why, even though he was a high ranked account manager, he was the one to take his client to the main vault.

Reaching the main Potter vault, Grimclaw ran a finger along an intricate symbol etched into the cast iron door. The magic of the vault recognized the goblin as one authorized to open the door and allowed it to swing open.

Grimclaw turned to Harry, "Take as long as you want to inside. The door will not open to you or to any other goblin. When you want to leave the vault, activate the medallion by putting some of your magic into it and I will retrieve you.

Harry thanked the elder goblin profusely and saw him walking away.

The contents of the vault were arranged in two different groups. One side was covered completely with coins. Harry felt that if he was frugal enough, he need not work even a single day of his life and once he got control of the vault, judicious investments may actually increase his wealth. The knowledge of financial security gave him some sense of relief. He need not go to Hogwarts to learn enough to earn his bread; or rather he need not go to Hogwarts if he did not feel safe.

The other side of the vault was more interesting to Harry. It had rows and rows of books, journals, and assorted files. He began browsing the books and even though he could not take them out, just learning their names would be enough for Harry for now. If he found anything interesting, he could always buy that particular book at the bookstore.

His attention was captured by the journals though. They were diaries of a good number of previous heads of House Potter, including his grandfather Potter. Then there were the journals of his mother and father. While a few of them were about their experiences at Hogwarts, the others were their notes about transfiguration magic, and animagus transformation from his father. There was quite a bit on the political system at that time and his and his mother's speculation of the future. He talked about the changes that were needed to make the wizarding world more tolerant to muggle-borns and other sentient species.

His mother's notes were more about potions, runes and modifications of wand movements for some common charms. Harry cursed his luck; here was a gold mine of information but he could not use it to his benefit. Maybe he could ask Grimclaw if he could make copies of some of them to take outside the vault. It was a question he would be happy to ask as the elder goblin himself made the copies and allowed Harry to take them with him.

Altogether the journals gave him a good idea of Potter history. He ignored the growling of his stomach and dove into the knowledge they were offering with abandon.

Reading through the history of his family, Harry came to realize the enormous politicking his family was involved in. As the only surviving branch of Godric Gryffindor and purportedly of Merlin himself, the Potter family had great weight in making several laws and now Harry had the responsibility of the Potter family heritage. Added to the history, his own fame as the 'Boy-Who-Lived' added to the image and his political capital skyrocketed.

No wonder people were trying to get him under their thumb.

The vault also contained a self-updating tapestry of the Potter family and it held the sad truth of only one living Potter. In addition to that Harry also found a normal chart paper with a hand drawn family tree. He realized that it was not magical and probably made by his mother as he could trace the Evans family line.

Pursuing through the genealogy, one name caught his attention, 'Sarah Bringham!'


	4. Chapter 4

Hi guys

Recently I suffered a massive heart attack and I was in ICU. I have no idea if I will be able to take up any more writing for sometime. I will get the stories back up if I can when I can.

Thanks for the support

-Hermihugs.


End file.
